미국의 American Rivers 협회는 최근 "음용수 인프라: 누가 돈을 내고 어떻게 운용되는가"라는 제목의 보고서를 발표했다. 이 보고서는 지역사회와 납세자들이 수자원 관리 시설, 기관들이 어떻게 새로운 음용수 인프라 프로젝트를 금전적으로 조달하고 운영하는지를 잘 이해할 수 있도록 돕는다.

이 보고서는 어떻게 수질을 보존하고 안전하고 안정적인 수자원을 공급하는지에 대한 연대기적이고 중요한 정보를 제공하는 가치있는 자료이다. 더 나아가, 이는 수자원 비율을 조절하는 도시 공무원, 21세기 음용수 인프라에 자금을 조달하는 주(州) 금융관계자들, 그리고 그들과 밀접한 주체들에게 경각심을 불러일으킬 것으로 보인다.

WASHINGTON, D.C., June 26, 2013 -- American Rivers recently released the report, "Drinking water infrastructure: Who Pays and How," to help water, community and taxpayer advocates better understand how water utilities finance new drinking water infrastructure projects. 

This report is a valuable tool that provides important and timely information about how to preserve water quality and healthy river flows while ensuring safe, adequate water supplies for the future. Further, it's a call to action for advocates as they engage with drinking water utilities, city councils that set water rates, and the State Revolving Fund administrators that help to finance 21st century water infrastructure.

Drinking water infrastructure in the United States received a "D" grade in the 2013 report card on America's infrastructure by the American Society of Civil Engineers. The American Water Works Association estimates that replacing pipes in the roughly 240,000 water main breaks that occur in the United States every year would cost more than $1 trillion over the coming decades.

"From leaky pipes to sewage overflows, our country's water infrastructure is in dire need of upgrades. Our outdated infrastructure cannot keep pace with changing demand for water and wastewater treatment, growing population and increasingly heavy storms," said Jeff Odefey, director of stormwater programs for American Rivers. "We need to make infrastructure investments that will best meet the needs of present and future generations. This report helps community and water advocates understand not only how to be more effective opponents of destructive and bloated infrastructure projects, but also how to be more effective proponents of cost-effective modern water infrastructure solutions that support river health," said Odefey.

[출처: Waterworld / 2013년 6월 26일]